The invention relates to an actuator for a motor vehicle seat, more specifically for a motor vehicle seat as set forth in the preamble of patent claim 1. Such an actuator has been known from WO 86/06036, where it is more specifically illustrated in FIG. 4. Further, a similar actuator can also be seen from FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,021 in particular. Finally, WO 03/068551 also shows an equivalent actuator.
Actuators of this type are quite usual in prior art and have proved efficient. The reader is additionally referred to U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,893 and to U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,146 B1.
In prior art, the gear housing and the gear retainer must be matched, using complex methods. This requires considerable effort and expense, in particular as far as the gear retainer is concerned. The gear housing is mostly composed of discrete housing parts made from metal or from a plastic material. At the interface of the parts to be joined, joint mismatch results in a step being formed and in the housing being inaccurately mounted in the gear retainer. The gear retainer must be matched accordingly and may for example be made from two parts that are assembled individually.
The invention therefore aims at developing the actuators already existing in many different implementations and at providing an actuator that is, as far as practicable, easy to manufacture industrially, suitable for large-scale production, that requires least possible matching of the respective parts and can be manufactured at a low cost.